Apparatus for applying labels



July 3, 1956 w. K. WALKER APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LABELS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 25, 1953 INVENTOR j WALTER KENNETH MILKER ATTORNEY July 3, 1956 w. K. WALKER 2,753,071

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LABELS Filed July 25, 1953 s Sheets-Sheet 2 ADJUSTABLE 1 3/2 JE'ZIY l I i 37 I l M I I )J-J l I 26 25c 306! l l l l INVENTOR LENNETH WALKER,

ATTORNEY July 3, 1956 w. K, WALKER APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LABELS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Ju ly 23, 1953 INVENTOR WALTER KENNETH WALKER BY cfl ATTORNEY 2,753,071 APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LABELS Walter Kenneth Walker, Ogden, Utah, assignor to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, DeL, a corporation of Delaware Application July 23, 1953, Serial No. 369,892 3 Claims. (Cl. 216--55) The present invention relates to the labeling of cores upon which filamentary materials, such as yarns, are wound preparatory to shipping, storage or subsequent handling. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus and method for applying labels inside of cores preparatory to winding yarn.

Yarns, which may be of natural or synthetic origin, are produced in several varieties. Denier, luster, etc., vary from batch to batch. These variations are not readily apparent to even the most experienced observer. Mills which process the yarns handle wool and cotton as well as the assorted synthetic fibers. The mills cannot operate efficiently unless the yarns are clearly and accurately labeled. Labeling, therefore, is imperative and has become an important operation in the yarn-producing plants.

The prior art discloses several machines for automatically labeling objects of cylindrical, conical and similar shape. These machines are concerned with placing labels on the outside surfaces of the objects. However, in the yarn industry, this is not satisfactory. The labels used for purposes of identification must be exposed, and placing them on the outside surfaces of the cores would limit the useful area of the cores. There is still another reason against placing labels on the outside surfaces of the cores. 1 t is necessary to avoid contact between the yarn and the labels. The usual agents on the yarns, which include finishes, softening agents and/or winding oils, are usually solvents for the aniline-base printing inks used on the labels. Contact between yarn and labels would result in discoloration and degradation of the yarn. Lastly, the edges of the label provide a knife-like surface, which may cut or abrade the filaments.

The yarn industries have recognized these problems. To obviate them, it has become common practice to place the labels on the inside surfaces of the hollow cores. The operation is performed manually in a slow, tedious, time-consuming and very uneconomical fashion. The operator takes a hollow core from a so-called stick of nested cores, wets a gummed label and applies the label to the inside surface of the hollow core. For ease in later identification, the operator tries to place each label at a constant distance below the edge of the core.

Prior to subsequent handling of the yarn wound on the core, it is also necessary to secure the end of the yarn and thus prevent unravelling. This is usually accomplished by making a slit in the edge of the core base to receive the tail of the yarn.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for applying printed labels to the inside surfaces of hollow cores in an efficient and economical manner. A further object of this invention is to provide a machine that operates semi-automatically for performing this essential operation. Another object of this invention is to provide a machine that will slit the edge of the core and apply the label to the inside surface of the core in essentially a single operation. Other objects of the in vention will become apparent from the following descrip tion, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

I n the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is a front elevation, showing the portion of 'it States Patent 2,753,071 Patented July 3, 1956 the apparatus in front of the control panel seen from the operators position,

Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in section on line 2-2 of Figure l and showing the complete apparatus except for the electrical controls,

Figure 3 is a diagram of the electrical control circuit, and

Figure 4 shows a cone core with a label in place inside the core.

Figure 5 is a front elevation of another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation taken along line 6-6 of Figure 5.

in general the apparatus performs the functions of automatically withdrawing a printed label from a supply, holding the label 10 with the reverse surface out on a mandrel 11, and treating the outwardly-facing surface of the label so that it will adhere to a yarn core. The operator then telescopes a hollow yarn core 9 over the mandrel, whereupon the adherent surface causes the label to transfer to the inside of the core and stick in place when the core is withdrawn. While the core is in place over the mandrel a cutting blade slits the base of the core to provide a slot for the yarn tail. The mandrel is preferably shaped to conform to the inside of the core so that the core is automatically centered in proper position to be slitted and receive the label in the desired location.

The invention will be illustrated as used for applying gummed labels, where the gumtned surface is treated with water to prepare it for adhesion to the core. The same procedure and equipment may be used with labels coated with other adhesives or cements by merely substituting an appropriate activating solvent for water. Uncoated labels can be used in a similar manner by substituting a suitable solution of adhesive or cement for the water. A simple modification for applying thermoplastic (heat sensitive) labels will be described subsequently.

When using gummed labels, they are placed gummed sides up in label carriages 16 and water is placed in reservoir 31 to keep label-dampening sponges 29 wet. Power is applied to energize the electrical circuits, in cluding motor 13A which rotates slitter knives 13. A vacuum is drawn through tube 32 to apply suction through mandrel apertures 38, arranged to hold a label in the desired position for application to a core.

The operator removes a cone core from a stick of nested cores at the right or left of the machine. Although the machine shown in the drawings is designed and operated as a two-hand or two position device, the operation will be described for the labeling and slitting of a single cone core. The operator telescopes a core over the end of the mandrel 11 with the base tilted upward so that the lower leading edge of the base slides against the underside of the mandrel. He advances the core until it is against the front plate 12. In this position, the slitter blade 13 cuts into the lower edge of the core base to a depth governed by the adjustable position of the front plate with respect to the slitter blade. This adjustment is made by means of four adjusting nuts 14, one of which is located in each corner of the front plate. The core base strikes switch button 15 to de-energize the entire group of controls. During this preliminary period, the label carriage 16 and the iron core 17 of the solenoid 18 are kept suspended by the tension of spring 19, and the sponges on arms 20 are diverged away from the mandrel 11, there being as yet no label on the mandrel.

The slitted core 9 is withdrawn from the mandrel, permitting switch button 15 to move to its normally closed position. This closes branches 1 and 3A of the electrical circuit shown in Fig. 3. Closing switch button 15 serves to energize coil 26C, which in turn closes its associated contact as. Energy is thus applied to the coil of the time delay relay 36 causing the normally open time contact 21 to close after a prescribed time interval. At this stage branches 1, 3 and 3A are energized. During the time that contact 22 was closed, energy flowed through relay coil 23C which in turn closed the normally open contact to energize branches 1-, 4A and 4B. By energizing branch l, coil closes and locks mechanical contact 24 in branch 2. By energizing branch 4A, coil 25C opens the normally closed contact 25 in branch 2. Energizing branch 43 means that the solenoid 18 is e crgizcd. This coil attracts the iron core 17 which has been suspended by springs 19, causing the label carriage in to drop of its own weight so that the printed side of the bottom-most label rests on the slotted top surface of the mandrel E1 as shown in Fig. 2.

The electrical system allows a delay of a fraction of a second. This is sufficient for the vacuum to draw one label from the carriage to cover the slotted openings 38 on the mandrel.

After the set period of time has elapsed (an adjustable feature of time delay relay 3% in branch 3A of the electrical circuit), time contact 22 opens followed by the closing of time contact 21. Energy in coil decays to cause contact 23 to open. Opening cont ct docuergizes branches 4, 4A and dB. De-energizing the solenoid coil ill in branch 4? permits the distended sprinto raise the iron core 17, and with it the label car age 16. Although coil 2 3-(1 (branch 4) is de-eu ized, contact 24, which is mechanically latched, remains closed. De-energizing coil 25C causes contact 25 to close. thanch 2 is therefore completed and coil 275, is energized. At this stage, branches ll, 2 and 3A are energized. Energizing coil 27C causes contact 27 to close which completes branches 5 and 5A.

Completing branch 5A means that energy ilows into solenoid coil 33. The iron core 34 is attracted upwan l. This action is transmitted through springs 35' and con necting clevises 36 to pull the wetting arms 29 together. The arms rotate describing an arc of motion to force the sponges 29 to converge on the gummcd surface of the label held on the mandrel ill. The sponges 29 have been wet by the capillary action through sponge wick 23 which lies in water reservoir 31. Sufficient delay is allowed for adequate wetting of the label. Completing branch 5 by the closing of contact 27, also provides energy for coil 24D. This serves to unlatch the mechanically held contact 24 to de-energize branch 2. Relay coil 27C is de-energized. Contact 27 is opened, thus (lo-energizing branches 5 and 5A. As energy in coil 33 decays in branch 5A the iron core 34 of the solenoid falls, permitting the springs 35 to contract, which causes the wetting arms 23 to diverge away from the wetted label to their original positions. Only branches 1t and 3A of the electrical circuit remain energized. The wetted label is held on the mandrel by the vacuum. The operator advances a cone core 9 over the mandrel 11 in the manner already described. Striking switch button tie-energizes the entire set of controls and serves to reset the time delay relay 3h. The cycle of operations is now ready for repetition.

In advancing a cone core over the mandrel, the inner surface of the core does not touch the label in the core base is flush against the front plate 12. in this position, the conical inner surface of the core coincides with the conical exterior surface of the mandrel Ill. The adhesive surface of the label contacts the inner surface of the cone core with sufiicient force to cause the label to resist the pull of the vacuum. Thus, the label becomes attached to the inner surface of the cone core.

As previously indicated, the reservoir 3i may contain any suitable liquid for treating the labels. Instead of water it may contain another solvent for adhesivecoated labels or a solution of adhesive for treating uncoated labels. These liquids will be applied to the labels in the manner described by the action of the sponges 29, sponge til arms 25 and the cooperating mechanical and electrical components indicated at the lower left of Figure When using heat-sensitive labels all of this may be dispensed with or the sponge arms may be deactivated. Instead, the desired treatment of the latter labels is accomplished by incorporating a heater in mandrel 1?. as shown in Figures 5 and 6. The operation proceeds as described for water-sensitive labels up to the point of depositing the label on the mandrel. The thermoplastic or heat sensitive adhesive is then quickly made sticky by the heat the mandrel and the label is ready for adheriz'ig to the core. The electrical circuit is greatly simplified by eli 1inating the action of the wetting arms 21?. All that is required of the electrical circuit is the controlled action of label holder 16, so relays 2 5, 25, 27 and solenoid 33 be ome superfluous.

"'vhatever the type of label, it is evident that the first core encounters the slitter twice. Advancing the core over the mandrel the first time primarily serves o strike the switch button and start the sequence or" operations which ultimately provides adherent label on the mandrel. The first core is then advanced again over the mandrel to receive the label, and again encounters the slittcr. i'lowevcr, all subsequent cores are merely adva. d over the mandrel once to be simultaneously slit labelled. The apparatus enables the operator to port on the operations of applying the label and slitting the ly and accurately. The manipulation which the i aerator has to perform is simple and it has been found to make the apparatus in two duplicate parts so that the operator can use both hands simultaneously for processing different cores.

Since many different embodiments of the invention may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope then of, it is to be understood that the invention is not limit 3 by the specific illustrations except to the extent defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for applying a label inside a hollow core which comprises a fixed mandrel for supporting a label in position for application to the inside of the core, said mandrel being shaped to conform to the inside of the hollow core and the portion of the mandrel surface which supports the label being provided with apertures for applying vacuum; means for applying su 'ient vacuum at said apertures to hold a label in post ion; a label carriage for holding a supply of labels; means for moving said carriage against the mandrel in position for said vacuum to withdraw one label from the carriage onto the supporting surface of the mandrel; means for thereafter moving the carriage away from the mandrel; means for treating the outwardly-facing surface of the label to make the surface adherent; and electrical control means actuated by removal of a core from the mandrel and adapted to cause said label carriage and said treating means to automatically perform their functions of pre paring an adherent label for application to the next core.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said treating means comprises a movable arm bearing a sponge supplied with water from a reservoir by a sponge wick.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and including cutting means for slitting the base of a core while said core is positioned on said mandrel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING A LABEL INSIDE A HOLLOW CORE WHICH COMPRISES A FIXED MANDREL FOR SUPPORTING A LABEL IN POSITION FOR APPLICATION TO THE INSIDE OF THE CORE, SAID MANDREL BEING SHAPED TO CONFORM TO THE INSIDE OF THE HOLLOW CORE AND THE PORTION OF THE MANDREL SURFACE WHICH SUPPORTS THE LABEL BEING PROVIDED WITH APERTURES FOR APPLYING VACUUM; MEANS FOR APPLYING SUFFICIENT VACUUM AT SAID APERTURES TO HOLD A LABEL IN POSITION; A LABEL CARRIAGE FOR HOLDING A SUPPLY OF LABELS; MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CARRIAGE AGAINST THE MANDREL IN POSITION FOR SAID VACUUM TO WITHDRAW ONE LABEL FROM THE CARRIAGE ONTO THE SUPPORTING SURFACE OF THE MANDREL; MEANS FOR THEREAFTER MOVING THE CARRIAGE AWAY FROM THE MANDREL; MEANS FOR TREATING THE OUTWARDLY-FACING SURFACE OF THE LABEL TO MAKE THE SURFACE ADHERENT; AND ELECTRICAL CONTROL MEANS ACTUATED BY REMOVAL OF A CORE FROM THE MANDREL AND ADAPTED TO CAUSE SAID LABEL CARRIAGE AND SAID TREATING MEANS TO AUTOMATICALLY PERFORM THEIR FUNCTIONS OF PREPARING AN ADHERENT LABEL FOR APPLICATION TO THE NEXT CORE. 